


Time Won't Fly

by megapotterlover



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, M/M, No Incest, Not quite an AU, Reconciliation, but i don't like what jkr did to his character, he is my son, there will be angst, this is focused on aberforth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-01-15 08:22:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18495094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megapotterlover/pseuds/megapotterlover
Summary: Aberforth deals with the aftermath of the duel, going off on his own and trying to figure out his life. He does a lot of stupid things, continues to fight with Albus (whether it's arguing with him, or fighting by his side depends on the day), and tries to do what he can when he has the chance





	1. Gone too soon

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really have a plot in mind for this, I just kind of want to do cutscenes around Aberforth. I have a general idea of what I want to happen, though.

**_August, 1899_ **

Aberforth knelt on the floor with her head in his lap; even though it had been hours, he still stroked her hair and told her it was going to be alright. They were going to be okay, even as he sat with his little sister’s body on the floor in front of him. The tears hadn’t stopped since the smoke had cleared and he saw what had happened to Ariana.

Albus wasn’t hovering, exactly, but he hadn’t left the room or made any effort beyond his initial one to speak to Aberforth. The scream that came from Aberforth for Albus to shut up had been enough for him to keep quiet, though he repeatedly moved closer. Aberforth could hear he was crying as well, but that didn’t matter. Ari needed him right now, and Albus was an adult. He could handle himself.

“It will be okay,” he whispered to Ariana, one last time.

~

His collar was too tight, and his cheeks itched where the tears had dried but new ones hadn’t tracked yet. He looked at Albus again, standing at the other end of the dais, and his scowl remained fixed in place. It had been all day. And yet Albus was standing there, accepting people’s condolences over and over again. As if their sister wasn’t lying dead between them because of him.

His gaze drifted to Ariana, and another wave of grief hit him. She didn’t look peaceful, or like she was sleeping. She looked dead and pale and _wrong_. Even when she had been sad or sleeping, she had still managed to be so full of life and brightened his days. Now, her blonde hair was too perfectly arranged, and the dress she wore was one she might have worn on the rare occasion they were able to go on walks around the neighborhood, because she considered them special occasions. The bright blue and pale pink were too bright for a funeral.

The more he looked, the more his grief churned inside of him, mixing with the anger that had led to the duel in the first place. It only solidified when he looked up at Albus again. Albus was thanking yet another person, and the second they stepped away, Aberforth couldn’t take it anymore. He was too angry to even pull out his wand. Instead, he dove over the distance between them.

The action knocked him, Albus, and a small display of flowers to the ground. He could hear the surprised grunt from Albus, and the cries from some of the guests, but he didn’t care. He pushed himself up to basically kneeling over Albus, and didn’t hesitate to punch Albus in the nose. He could feel a crack under his fist, and he felt satisfaction at seeing the blood. Until he realized that Albus had made no efforts to stop him.

He had raised his fist again, but the realization made him hesitate. Albus looked up at him, and Aberforth could see the guilt and what looked like pity in his face. He dropped his hand, but before he stood up, he shoved Albus back down onto the ground, hard. “This is your fucking fault,” he said, pointing at Ariana’s coffin. His voice was hoarse from tears, anger, and everything that had happened. “ _You did this!_ ” He stood up and ignored the spectators who were watching in horror, instead moving to kneel next to the head of the coffin.

He knelt and stared at her. He didn’t react when he heard someone come up to Albus, saying something about healing his nose. Or when Albus muttered that it was fine, he would take care of it later. He just watched her, until Albus came up behind him.

“Aberforth,” he said quietly. “It’s time.” His voice was thick with emotion, but it also sounded as if he had an awful cold. Aberforth looked back and saw his nose was swelling and blood was drying over his face. As he stood up to let the coffin be taken care of, Albus vanished the majority of it, but occasionally a small stream of blood would trickle down again.

When they walked silently home after the burial, there was still blood on the front of Albus’ shirt.

~

“Are you serious? There is no way that I’m going back to school!” Aberforth exclaimed, his trunk laying half-packed at the foot of his bed. He had walked in on Albus putting a set of books in them, ones he recognized from the school list he had discarded a week ago.

“Yes, you are. I don’t care if you’re seventeen. You can’t not finish school,” Albus said, infuriatingly calm. “You still have to take your NEWTs. In case you’ve forgotten, I am still your guardian.” It was hard to take him seriously. In the two weeks since the funeral, he still hadn’t had his nose healed. The swelling had gone down, but he was sporting two black eyes - though they were becoming yellow as they faded.

“You _were_ my guardian. You forfeited that label when you chose your Greater Good over doing that job for Ari.” He took satisfaction in how Albus flinched in response, but his face hardened a moment later.

Instead of turning away, Albus simply gave a flick of his wand and sent items from around his room into the trunk. Before Aberforth could do anything, the lid was slammed shut and sealed, and he couldn’t pull it open. “I’m not about to let you throw away any chance at a good future because you hate me,” Albus replied simply

“A good future? What the hell am I gonna get from one more year that’s going to drastically change what I do with my life?” Aberforth argued.

“Options, Aberforth. That’s what you’ll get. If you stop now, you won’t have a chance for anything. Just go back, and you can let your hatred drive you into whatever you want _after_ you graduate. Be ready to leave by ten thirty tomorrow”

Aberforth was so angry as Albus walked out that he seized one of the few items that hadn’t been packed away - one of his old textbooks - and hurled it at Albus’ head. It missed, but he didn’t care.

As soon as he heard Albus’ door shut, he left his own room, heading down the hall to Ariana’s room. He had gone in almost every night since the fight, but hadn’t disturbed anything. The walls had flowers on them - ones he had helped her pick, and sometimes press. Others were in bunches that had died, but he couldn’t find it in him to get rid of them. He sat on the edge of the bed. It was still unmade because the morning before everything, she had rushed out to the garden to see the bird she had spotted from the window.

He sat in silence for a few minutes, looking around him. He knew he wouldn’t win this argument with Albus, and that Albus would make sure he got on the train, and wait until the train was pulled out of the station to leave. But that didn’t mean Aberforth would do what he wanted. He stood up, moving to the nightstand that held the objects Ariana had considered most important. A picture of their father that Kendra had given her, a doll that Albus had bought her in Hogsmeade because it made him think of her, and a stuffed goat from Aberforth tucked under the doll’s arm among them.

She always liked to look at them while she fell asleep, and when she woke up in the morning. Whenever he’d check on her in the night, she’d be lying facing towards the nightstand, even in her sleep. He shifted through the objects, this being the first time he had so much as touched anything besides the bed.

It took him a moment to find what he was looking for, but it was because it wasn’t on the nightstand. It was tucked under her pillow. He sat back down, tugging on the chain to pull it out. It was a locket she had had since before the attack. She almost never wore it out of fear of what she might do to it, but she would always have it in her pockets, resting on the table next to her during meals, or making him and Albus put it on so she wouldn’t lose it.

He opened it up, and it showed a picture of him and Albus with a baby Ariana lain across both their laps. All three of them sported smiles, and Ariana clutched at Albus’ finger. He didn’t remember taking the picture, but it had always been one of his favorites. It didn’t quite make him feel calm to look at it, but it reminded him of a calmer time. Ariana had taken to showing it to him when she thought he was annoyed at something or other.

Aberforth traced his finger over the edge of the locket, thinking for a moment. It wasn’t calming now, but it cleared some of his anger, letting him think a bit more about the situation. Finally, he shut it, and left the room without a look back.


	2. An Easy Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Remind me why I tell you anything?”Aberforth asked. Olivia had been one of his first friends at Hogwarts, and was the only person who even came close to knowing what was really wrong with Ariana, and how much he worried about her. “Look, there’s nothing to say. The funeral sucked, the whole summer sucked, Albus is still the worst even though by next year he’ll be the… youngest Minister in the history of ever or some shit and everybody will be singing his praises. All because now he’s free to do whatever..”
> 
> “Who cares? I didn’t follow you to talk about Albus. I want to talk about you.”
> 
> “I hate talking about me. I’d much rather just think about punching him in the face.”
> 
> “You’re an idiot. Try not to get expelled by punching somebody else in the face because you were thinking about Albus.”
> 
> “I have to be there to get expelled.”

“Why do you have that bag?” Albus asked when Aberforth came downstairs.

“Well, _somebody_ made it so I can’t open my trunk, so I had to pack the things that you forgot,” Aberforth replied, tossing it on the ground next to his trunk. He had packed it after he left Ariana’s room, with more than what he would need for school. It was what he would need outside of school; plain robes, but also some muggle clothes just in case.

Albus sighed, and picked up his wand. Aberforth’s trunk popped open, so he dropped the bag in and shut it again. “Why are you so willing all of a sudden?” Albus asked, and Aberforth didn’t miss the suspicion in his voice.

“What else am I supposed to do?” Aberforth turned to look back at him, raising his hands in a gesture of defeat. “You fucking win, Albus. I have nothing else to do. You’re going to force me on that train no matter what, so I might as well just get it over with.”

“Oh… well, there’s breakfast in the other room. If you want something before we have to leave.” He looked as if he had no idea what to do with Aberforth giving in, probably because it had never really happened before.

Aberforth shrugged. “I’m not hungry. Let’s just go.”

Albus eyed him again, but he didn’t press the matter. He grabbed his coat and handed Aberforth his. It was silent as they both pulled them on, and Aberforth grabbed his trunk. Quickly, as if he expected it to be a trick from Aberforth, Albus took his arm and apparated them both to an alley about two blocks from King’s Cross.

Aberforth quickly tugged his arm away; he wanted this over with as soon as possible. He pulled his trunk behind him and set a brisk pace to the station. He could practically feel Albus’ suspicious gaze on his back. But he could be suspicious all he wanted, Aberforth was getting on the train just like he wanted. He walked into the station without a look back. His hand went into his pocket, gripping tightly at the locket as he made his way to the barrier.

He did stop to wait for Albus just in front of the barrier, but more to make sure that he wouldn’t be noticed by muggles as he went through. Once Albus was there, they both leaned against the barrier and went through to the other side where people were already saying goodbyes and loading their trunks onto the train. Aberforth began to pull his trunk towards the train, but was stopped by Albus’ hand on his arm. He stopped, but didn’t turn back.

“Ab, just be careful at school,” he said quietly. “Try not to get into so many fights this year.”

Aberforth rolled his eyes. “Sure, Albus. I’ll be a perfect student.”

“Aberforth, I mean it. It’s your last year. Don’t get a year of detention or expelled just to spite me.”

“Like I care enough to do it just to spite you,” Aberforth scoffed, finally glancing over his shoulder at Albus. “I’m going to go find a seat. Maybe I’ll see you at the end of the year.” He didn’t feel a need to add the _probably not_ at the end.

Albus sighed, but dropped his hand from Aberforth’s arm. “I’ll see you,” he said.

Interesting that he didn’t say when. Aberforth picked up his trunk again and headed for the back of the train. Once he found an empty compartment, he put the trunk on the overhead racks, and sat down to wait for the train to leave. A glance out the window showed Albus looking up and down the train, probably trying to spot him.

He huffed a sigh, pulling the locket from his pocket to look at it. He didn’t open it this time. He ran his thumb over the front, where there was a flame engraved. It hadn’t been like that when their mother gave it to her. Their father had done it the first time that he told her about their family’s tie to phoenixes.

She had been four at the time, and fascinated at the notion of phoenixes being a part of their family. Percival had done the engraving then, telling her that he wasn’t skilled enough to make it a phoenix. Ariana had been more than happy, claiming she could see the shape of a phoenix in the flames and showing it to all of them until they agreed that it was there.

Aberforth had never seen it. He wondered from time to time if anybody else actually had. But now he knew the whole phoenix thing was bullshit. Phoenixes weren’t going to come to them and take away their problems by being their ‘loyal companions’ until they died. If they truly came to their family in times of need, one would have come to Ariana.

It was just as much a fairy tale as the Deathly Hallows. Albus was just too stupid to see either of them as they really were: lies made pretty to give the people listening false hope. Ariana had been a child, but Aberforth didn’t really see an excuse for Albus.

He tucked the locket away just as the door to the compartment slid open, revealing two of his friends standing there. Lyle Abbott, a Hufflepuff in his year, and Noah Marks, a sixth-year Gryffindor. He didn’t bother greeting them, but they took seats anyway.

“What, you can’t say hi?” Lyle asked, kicking at Aberforth’s foot.

“Knock it off, Lyle!” Noah hissed, glancing at Aberforth.

“My sister died, I didn’t suddenly lose all ability to handle you two being idiots,” Aberforth said, looking at Noah. “Where’s Olivia?”

“She’s with some of her other friends,” Noah told him, looking slightly awkward at the mention of Ariana. “She’ll be coming back this way once she’s done saying hi.”

“Alright, well I’m just going to clear the air before she gets here and you two start snogging and don’t hear a word I’m saying. Yes, Ariana is gone. Yes, I’m upset. No, I don’t want to talk about it, and no, I don’t want you to act weird about it this whole train ride. Good?” Aberforth looked at the two of them, and when they nodded, he dropped his head back against the seat. “What’d you guys do this summer?”

Lyle shrugged, his hands twisting in his lap. “Not much. My mum was mostly taking advantage of the fact that I can finally use magic outside of school and making me fix things up around the house that Dad keeps saying he can take care of. She says she can’t do spellwork as neatly as I can, so I got stuck with it.” His hands continued to twist, and Aberforth knew the second he got in the potions classroom, he would stop being fidgety.

Noah snorted, putting his feet up on the seat. “I’ll gladly fix things around the house if it means I get to use magic outside of school,” he commented. “My parents made me keep visiting family and go along with the usual ruse about the elite boarding school.” Noah’s parents were muggles, and they took the Statute of Secrecy much more seriously than he did. They were extremely proud of the fact that he was a wizard, ironically enough, but didn’t want to get Noah in trouble. So they constructed a lie they could be equally proud of to tell their family. “I got to see Olivia a few times, so it wasn’t too bad. What did you do?”

Aberforth shrugged slightly. “Took care of Ariana, mostly. She got a lot worse once Mum passed, but I wasn’t there for most of it. I was just… trying to make her better after Albus failed to properly take care of her,” he said. “Didn’t work out too well.” Before he could go any further, a flash of green caught his eye and the door slid open again. “Hey, Olivia,” he said, lifting a hand in greeting to the Slytherin.

“Hey, Aberforth. Hey, Lyle,” she said. She shut the door, and shoved Noah’s feet off the seat. “Were you raised in a barn?” She took the seat for herself and pulled him into a quick kiss, ignoring the groans from Lyle and Aberforth.

“You better not do that the whole trip,” Lyle complained. “You guys do this every time, and it’s not even _quiet_.”

“Oh, shut up, Lyle,” Olivia replied, leaning against Noah’s side. Her dark eyes flitted to Aberforth for a second, and he could see the question in them.

He ignored it, pretending he hadn’t noticed anything and just looking to Lyle, deciding to start a conversation with him about his younger brother, who was a Hufflepuff like him. Lyle was quick to pick up on the topic, talking for a good twenty minutes while Aberforth asked questions. By then, the train had left King’s Cross, and they were well into the countryside.

Aberforth excused himself, saying he wanted to go see if the trolley lady was anywhere to be found. Instead, he went for the back of the train. He heard the compartment door open again, and Olivia called, “Aberforth, wait up!”

He sighed heavily, but turned around to wait as she closed the distance between them. “Just because the others are stupid and didn’t notice you going to the back doesn’t mean that I am,” she commented, already going past him. “You looking for an empty compartment, or were you headed all the way back?”

“Empty compartment,” he grunted. He followed her into one, sitting down and waiting for her to say something.

“I was going to write to you, when I heard,” she began. “But I figured you would ignore my letter.”

“So you decided ambushing me on the train would be better?”

“It’s not an ambush. You’re just ridiculous and require confrontation to talk about _anything_.”

Aberforth laid down across the seats, covering his face with his arm. “What is there to talk about? I left so that I could away from your annoying stares.” He felt a jolt as she kicked the seat, but didn’t lift his head.

“I know how close you were to her. I let the whole thing with your mom slide because I know you actually weren’t that upset about it. But not with Ariana, too,” she said.

“Remind me why I tell you anything?” Olivia had been one of his first friends at Hogwarts, and was the only person who even came close to knowing what was really wrong with Ariana, and how much he worried about her. “Look, there’s nothing to say. The funeral sucked, the whole summer sucked, Albus is still the worst even though by next year he’ll be the… youngest Minister in the history of ever or some shit and everybody will be singing his praises. All because now he’s free to do whatever..”

“Who cares? I didn’t follow you to talk about Albus. I want to talk about you.”

“I hate talking about me. I’d much rather just think about punching him in the face.”

“You’re an idiot. Try not to get expelled by punching somebody else in the face because you were thinking about Albus.”

“I have to be there to get expelled.” His arm was still over his face, but he could feel her staring at him expectantly. “I only came to the train because Albus made me. I’m not going back to school. I didn’t want to before and I sure as hell don’t see a point in it now. I just won’t get in a carriage when we get to Hogsmeade. I can apparate. I don’t have to stay there.”

“Where will you go, then?”

“London, maybe. I could find something in Diagon Alley. Don’t need NEWTs to work in a shop.”

“Are you going to tell Noah and Lyle? Or just hop away when they’re not looking and leave it to me to explain?”

“I’m liking the second option. I can’t handle Noah’s pouting face. I’m not going back to school just because he looks like a kicked crup.”

“Of course,” she scoffed. “I better hear from you. I won’t tell any teachers or anything, but you better let me know what you’re doing.” He heard movement, and this time she kneed him in the side. “Come on. Let’s get back to them before we actually miss the trolley.”

He dropped his arm and got up to go with her, glad that she wasn’t making a bigger deal out of it than she was. Albus couldn’t force him to do anything if he was still in Godric’s Hollow - if he even stayed there once he found out that Aberforth hadn’t returned to school. He went back to Noah and Lyle, who offered to start a game of exploding snap. He joined in, and gave Olivia a small smile as she settled back in next to Noah.

She returned it, and asked, “You guys ready to lose?”

~

At the stop in Hogsmeade, Aberforth deliberately opened his trunk so some of his things would fall out. He told the others to go ahead, and packed up his things with a wave of his wand. He pulled the trunk off the train, and watched as the other students made their way to the carriages and the boats. Once the station was clear enough, he turned in the opposite direction, down the road to Hogsmeade. A look over his shoulder showed that nobody noticed, but he still waited until he was farther down the road to pause and open his trunk.

He pulled out a set of normal robes, quickly removing his school ones to change into them. Next was his money bag, dropped in his pocket. He didn’t have much, but he had saved up enough over the years to stay on his own for a few weeks. Enough to figure out some place to work. Once he was changed and shut his trunk again, he continued the rest of the short trek to go to Hogsmeade.

He paused in the main square, trying to decide where to go. The Three Broomsticks would probably be the nicest, but he wanted to stretch his money as long as possible. With that in mind, he headed off one of the side streets, making his way to see if there were any smaller inns he could stay at for now.

Of course, most of the places seemed to be houses over that way. He kept walking though, and finally spotted a faded sign swinging in front of one of the buildings. Once he got closer, he could read it: the Hog’s Head. It seemed a bit decrepit, but definitely in his price range, so he went in, going immediately up to the bar and trying to ignore the grime that was everywhere.

The man standing there seemed out of place. He was much cleaner and didn’t have the demeanor of somebody in charge of a place like this. “What can I do for ya, lad?” His Scottish accent was thick, and he gave Aberforth a friendly smile.

“Um - how much is a room for a week?” Aberforth asked, releasing his trunk.

“A sickle for just the room, but two sickles’ll get ya breakfast and dinner for the week as well,” the man told him. He looked Aberforth up and down, clearly suspicious of something. “Shouldn’t you be heading up to the school? Ya look an awful lot like a student to me.”

“I’m not a student anymore,” Aberforth replied honestly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two sickles to drop on the counter. “I’ll take a room for a week, whatever you’ve got available.”

The man hesitated for a moment, but took the sickles. He turned to drop them in a cash register, telling Aberforth, “First room on the right when you go up the stairs is open. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Aberforth picked up his trunk again, and started towards the stairs. Before going too far, he turned back to the man, and asked, “Do you know if any places around here are hiring?”

The man turned back around, pausing for a minute. “Well, I can’t speak for any other places, but we could use another worker here. You’d mostly be tending to customers, taking care of rooms and all that, but you might also work behind the bar when I’m not here. Things like that.” Aberforth nodded, thinking it over as the man began putting glasses away. “You don’t have to answer now. You can look at other places before you do. I doubt we’ll get anybody coming here any time soon looking for a job.”

“Alright, thanks,” Aberforth said, and pulled his trunk towards the stairs again. “What’s your name?” he asked when he reached the bottom, turning back one last time.

“Keith Lamond. Yourself?”

“Aberforth.”

Whether Keith noticed that he opted not to say his last name or not, Aberforth couldn’t tell. He just smiled, and told him, “Pleasure to meet you, Aberforth. Your dinner’ll be up around 7.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He’s better at dodging the answers to things than you are,” Keith said. “You at least admit you don’t want to answer something. He just ducks around the question until you can’t remember what the question was.”  
> “You’re telling me,” Aberforth scoffed, taking a seat. “You see why I didn’t want to talk to him?”  
> “Actually, no, I don’t.” That got Aberforth to look at him in disbelief, wondering why he would think anybody would want to talk with someone like that. Keith continued causally. “The one thing he did admit was that he wished he could talk to his brother. I think if anybody could get something straight out of him, it’d be you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started with chapter titles but I'm giving up

Albus stared down at the newspaper, and the few job listings he had circled in ink. He couldn’t keep relying on the family money like he had over the summer, being reckless and stupid all because he felt like he had a chance to become something with Gellert. Like they could have  _ had _ something, and all of it had been a lie. 

He sighed in frustration, and forced himself to focus on the paper. None of it felt right. Working in the Ministry was probably his best chance at getting something that he had even a slight interest in, but the thought of it made him feel uncomfortable. He had already proven that he couldn’t handle even the slightest bit of power without catastrophic consequences.

He was reading through another listing - one looking for an assistant on some type of research with knarls - when there was a tap at the window. He looked up to see a tawny owl, and it didn’t take long to realize that the letter had the Hogwarts seal on it. Of course Aberforth would get in trouble on the first day. Albus pushed his chair back to go get the letter, and see what Aberforth had gotten himself into this time.

As soon as Albus had the scroll, the owl took flight again, quickly disappearing into the darkness. He broke the seal and opened it, almost resigned to the fact that he would be getting letters like these all year long.

_ Mr. Dumbledore, _

_ We understand that your family has been through a stressful time these past few months, and regret to interrupt your time of mourning. We are only writing to inquire after your brother, Aberforth, and his continued attendance at Hogwarts. With his absence, we assume that it is due to the recent loss your family has suffered. As we are sure you are aware, he was not present at the Welcoming Feast but we waited for the first day of classes to pass to confirm his absence. _

_ That noted, we would like to know when he will be returning to Hogwarts. Necessary accommodations will be made for his return, but we will need further information to prepare for this. Again, we apologize for this intrusion, and we wish the best to your family. If you can give us an answer as soon as possible, it would be greatly appreciated and we can prepare for Aberforth’s return. _

_ Best regards, _

_ William Farley _

_ Gryffindor Head of House _

His stomach had dropped before he even finished the first paragraph, and he didn’t know what he was supposed to send back to them. Aberforth had gotten on the train and  _ stayed _ on it until it had pulled out, Albus had made sure of that. The fact that he had disappeared somehow between London and Hogwarts - it filled him with dread and worry. It wasn’t like Aberforth could just get off the train in the middle of the trip. That was the obvious explanation; he had given in much too easily after fighting so much with Albus and it had sparked suspicion the second he did. But there was still the chance that something had happened to him. Or  _ could _ happen to him even if he had gone off on his own.

He moved to sit back at the table, dropping the letter in front of him. Tomorrow. He would go to Hogwarts tomorrow and speak with Professor Farley. Hopefully by then he would figure out something to say. He had no idea if he should explain that Aberforth hadn’t wanted to come back and probably snuck away as soon as he had a chance, or lie and say he had made the decision not to return, or say he had no idea what could have happened.

No matter what he said, nothing would change that Aberforth was gone. And no matter the reason, it was Albus’ fault. He could only see one person having a reason to take Aberforth, if that was what had happened. He pinched the bridge of his nose, the thought of  Gellert having done this just furthering the fear he felt for his brother. And it was just as much his fault as Ariana’s death. 

Another look at the letter did nothing to alleviate his worry. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would go and sort everything out. It was too late now for him to do anything useful. He picked up the newspaper and dropped it in the trash, heading upstairs. He passed his own bedroom, going to Ariana’s first. He stopped in the doorway, just looking for a moment. It was still undisturbed, as he always stopped short of entering. He stood in the doorway, still not wanting to move a single thing out of place.

Instead of going straight to his own bedroom like he had been, he stopped in front of Aberforth’s closed door, hesitating a moment before he pushed it open. It was the same way it always was. There were items scattered on the floor: not quite a mess, but it couldn’t really be considered clean, either. Just cluttered. He stepped in a took a look around, not really seeing anything out of the ordinary. Old school books, crumpled parchment, empty potion vials. It gave Albus nothing to go off of.

He sighed and left the room, shutting the door behind him and finally going to his own room.

~

It was Aberforth’s second day in Hogsmeade, and it was looking like he would either have to take up Keith’s offer to work at the Hog’s Head or go looking for a job somewhere else. The Three Broomsticks was a popular place to want to work, and so was Honeydukes, and just looking at Madam Puddifoot’s made him want to vomit. There were a couple of other stores that he had inquired at, but none were looking to hire. The Hog’s Head wasn’t awful, as he thought about it more. It just seemed a little boring.

He walked down the main street of Hogsmeade, not in any rush now that he had asked around just about everywhere. The weather was kind of nice, so he figured he might as well enjoy it before it rained again. Just as he got to the street he needed to turn down, there was a flash of red in his vision, a color identical to his own hair. He almost froze, but ducked down the street instead, waiting until he was behind the building to glance out again.

Albus was there, an expression on his face that seemed to be a combination of worry and anger as he made his way through the small crowd. Towards Hogwarts. Aberforth almost swore out loud. He should have realized they would say something to Albus. At least he hadn’t been seen yet, and he had however long Albus would be at Hogwarts to get back to the Hog’s Head and stay there for the rest of the day.

He glanced at Albus one more time, to make sure he wasn’t just being paranoid, and saw that he was almost at the road between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts now, and relaxed a little bit. He turned to resume his walk to the Hog’s Head, but he kept looking over his shoulder. He didn’t understand why Albus seemed so upset. Now he didn’t have a care in the world, so what did it matter if he hadn’t listened?

Now at the Hog’s Head, he pushed the door open and made his way to the bar. Keith was standing there, having a conversation with a patron who seemed to be a regular. He stood to wait for him to finish, glancing at the door.

Keith took a few minutes to tie off whatever conversation he was having with the man who was suspiciously hairy. When he was done, he moved over to Aberforth. “Any reason you look like a girl who’s nervous her date will show up late? You’ve looked at the door five times since you came in.”

Aberforth tapped his fingers on the bar. “Can I ask a favor?” Keith raised an eyebrow, but gestured for him to go on. “A man might come here - he’s here in Hogsmeade, and he might come here asking for me. Well - you’ll figure it out anyway when you see him, he’s my brother. I don’t want to see him and I’d really appreciate it if you just tell him you haven’t seen me. If he even comes around.”

“How do you know your brother might come looking for you if you don’t talk to him?” Keith asked.

“Because I just spotted him walking through town.” He left out that it was towards Hogwarts, because he still hadn’t admitted that he had dropped out without actually informing anybody of the fact.

“And why is he looking for you? You’re an adult, are you not?”

“Yes, but - look, it’s complicated, and I’d rather not go into it. Can you please just not tell him I’m here?”

Keith sighed, sending a few glasses back underneath the bar with a flick of his hand. “Alright. I’ll say I haven’t seen you if he comes around.”

Aberforth sighed in relief and nodded. “Thanks.” He stepped back from the bar, about to return to his room. He remembered his luck in job hunting, and rocked back on his foot in hesitation. “Is that, uh - the job offer, is that still on the table?”

Keith smiled slightly, nodding. “Four sickles a week. Or three, if you plan on continuing to stay here. But you’ll be moved downstairs to the back room and you’ll be the one the guests call for problems at night.”

Aberforth smiled back, his first semi-sincere smile in a while, and asked, “How soon can I start?”

“Whenever ya want.”

~

Aberforth stayed up in his room the rest of the afternoon, not wanting to chance running into Albus. He told Keith he would start as soon as his week that he had paid for was up, joking that he wanted to get as much out of his money as possible. But it was getting late, and he was bored, so he shoved his way through the door to go downstairs. 

At the top of the steps though, he froze, spotting Albus at the bar with his back to him. He was perched on one of the stools with a glass of what seemed to be firewhiskey in one hand, and Keith leaning against the back back, clearly engaged in conversation with him.

He knew Keith wouldn’t go back on his promise, so he couldn’t help but wonder what they would be talking about. He didn’t want to go down and see. The pub was so empty there was no way Albus wouldn’t spot him. So he lingered at the top of the stairs, decided to wait it out.

Albus’ shoulders were slumped, and his face wasn’t in any position for Aberforth to see his expression, but he could still tell when he spoke. He gave short responses to whatever Keith was saying. He was clearly being asked questions, but Aberforth had no doubt that he wouldn’t answer or he’d be too vague for anybody to make any sense of it. A particular skill he had picked up from their mother.

Albus quickly downed what was left of the firewhiskey, pushing back from the bar and standing up. He said something to Keith, probably a farewell. Despite his abrupt standing, it seemed to be sincere, and he slid a few extra coins across the bar to Keith. Aberforth backed up a little, to make sure he wouldn’t be noticed if Albus glanced his way, but Albus left the pub without so much as a look

Aberforth went far enough down the stairs to see Albus disapparate from the street. He went the rest of the way down, going to the spot that Albus had vacated. 

“You weren’t kidding when you said I’d know he was your brother,” Keith commented. He placed a bottle back in its place. “You look the same, sound the same - if I hadn’t seen you hovering at the stop of the stairs, I’d’ve thought you were pulling my leg.”

“Yeah, people comment on that a lot.” Some people even said they both looked like their father had when he was their age, but any mention of him having any similarities with their father sent Albus into a brooding mood, though he always tried to play it off as just ‘feeling thoughtful.’ 

“He seemed awfully upset. And he’s better at dodging the answers to things than you are,” Keith said. “You at least admit you don’t want to answer something. He just ducks around the question until you can’t remember what the question was.”

“You’re telling me,” Aberforth scoffed, taking a seat. “You see why I didn’t want to talk to him?”

“Actually, no, I don’t.” That got Aberforth to look at him in disbelief, wondering why he would think  _ anybody _ would want to talk with someone like that. Keith continued causally. “The one thing he did admit was that he wished he could talk to his brother. I think if anybody could get something straight out of him, it’d be you.”

“I lived with him for seventeen years and I couldn’t get anything out of him. You could ask if it’s warm outside and he’d answer in some stupid riddle about how what each person feels is different and they have to decide. ‘Yes’ and ‘no’ don’t exist in his vocabulary. I’ve learned it’s better to just find things out for yourself with him.” And that hadn’t ended well for him over the summer, but it had proven exactly what he thought. He clenched his jaw, noticing Keith was watching him with a concerned look.

“If I had realized this would open up some hidden rage in you, I might not have said anything. Maybe if you feel so strongly about this, you should let him know. Nothing good ever comes from letting this stuff sit.”

“Well, with him, nothing good comes from trying to talk about it.” Aberforth stood up again, walking back to the stairs. “Don’t worry about sending dinner up. I’m not hungry.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t know why I ever hired you. You’re the laziest hire I ever had,” Keith muttered.   
> “I’m the only hire you ever had,” Aberforth argued. “Nobody else has such low standards.”  
> Keith rolled his eyes, but before he could tell Aberforth to do any actual work, the door opened. Aberforth ignored it, shifting his grip on the broom to put it back and begin some actual chores before Keith actually got annoyed. Before he could get too far, a girl’s voice called, “You would settle in a place that smells like goats, Aberforth.” He groaned quietly, and turned around to face Olivia, standing in the door with a smug grin on her face.

**_November, 1899_ **

It had taken a few weeks to get the swing of things, but by now Aberforth didn’t have a problem with the way the Hog’s Head worked. He occasionally wanted to destroy the bells connected to the guests’ rooms, because the requests that drew him out of bed in the middle of the night were typically ridiculous ones, but all in all it was a good job. The small pub was quiet most of the day, and he spent a lot of his down time talking to Keith.

It was how he found out Keith had worked there for twenty-two years, and owned the place for the last ten of them after the last owner simply gave him the place. That owner, one of the McCormack family, had owned the place since 1840, until he decided to move back to wherever he had come from.

During their talks, Aberforth hadn’t really given much about himself, but it didn’t stop Keith from trying. He knew that Albus had told him his last name, no doubt about it, and there was no shortage of speculations surrounding Ariana’s death. But Keith never asked about her. Aberforth didn’t talk about her on his own. Instead, he listened to Keith talk about his own family.

Today was no different; as he swept the floor, Keith told about how headstrong his son was getting. “You’d think that with how lax his mother and I are, he’d have less of a mind to argue so much when we  _ do  _ set rules in place, ya ken? He’s only eight and he’s already acting like he’s sixteen,” he said, wiping away at the bar. 

“Have you considered just not being lax at all?” Aberforth replied, leaning against the broom for a moment before he resumed his actions. “Show him that he should be grateful for what you do give him.”

“I don’t want to do that, because then I’ll have to do that every time that he throws a fit, and that seems like too much focus,” Keith pointed out. “I still don’t understand why you sweep the floor when there are spells that can take care of it in a second.”

“Just take them away until he goes to school so he really knows you’re serious. And I sweep because then you can’t make me do some other, equally pointless task.”

Keith scoffed quietly, dropping his rag on the bar. “Don’t know why I ever hired you. You’re the laziest hire I ever had,” he muttered. 

“I’m the  _ only _ hire you ever had,” Aberforth argued. “Nobody else has such low standards.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but before he could tell Aberforth to do any actual work, the door opened. Aberforth ignored it, shifting his grip on the broom to put it back and begin some actual chores before Keith actually got annoyed. Before he could get too far, a girl’s voice called, “You would settle in a place that smells like goats, Aberforth.”

He groaned quietly, and turned around to face Olivia, standing in the door with a smug grin on her face. “Where are Noah and Lyle?” he asked, and she walked over to take a seat at the bar.

“I left them at the Three Broomsticks,” she said, turning on the stool to look at him. “I wanted to see if you were still in Hogsmeade, but I didn’t want to drag them all over looking for you. But I guess I should have just started at the nastiest place. Would have saved myself some time.”

Aberforth rolled his eyes, and Keith watched them from his spot behind the bar. He jerked his head towards the back room, and told them, “It’s not like you’re doing work anyway. Go ahead and talk in private. I’ll call you if I need you.”

Aberforth nodded in thanks, and gestured for Olivia to follow him. He led her into the private rooms where he stayed - it wasn’t much, just a bedroom and a sitting room. But he kept them somewhat comfortable. A flick of his wand started the fire, and he took a seat in one of the chairs. “So, my letters were too vague for you? You had to come and harass me in person?”

“Yes, they were too vague, you jackass!” Olivia cried, smacking his shoulder before she took her own seat. “All you said was that you’d found a job, and you weren’t dead. That’s not what you tell friends. Noah has been pouting for almost two months, and Lyle always steals your letters to read through every word.”

“I send Lyle letters, too!” Aberforth protested. “Does he think that I’m giving you a secret message or something? It’s letters. He needs to calm down, and so does Noah. They’re ridiculous.”

“I never said they weren’t, but I will be telling them where you are so I can stop being harassed,” she commented. She glanced at him, her expression becoming more serious. “Why didn’t you say more, Aberforth? It’s not like we’d rat you out. We just want to know that you’re actually alright and not… starving in the streets.”

Aberforth sighed, looking up to meet her eyes. “Liv, I wasn’t trying to cut you guys out. I just - I didn’t want to say that I settled for a job in the grubbiest pub in town, after I told Albus I could get by just fine without going back to school.”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “You know, you’re just as ridiculous as Lyle and Noah. If not more!” she snapped, clearly frustrated. “You give all this talk about how Albus isn’t important, Albus’ opinion doesn’t matter, and yet here you are, not even talking to your friends because he had a little bit of a point and you don’t want to admit it?” Aberforth opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off with a sharp look. “I get that you don’t like him, and this isn’t what you pictured, but don’t cut us off because your pride gets in the way.”

Aberforth was silent for a moment, and he stared at the fire. “I wasn’t trying to cut you off,” he repeated. “And it’s not just Albus. I actually like this place, and I know it’s not what I expected for my life but - nothing I ever do will be.” He could feel her gaze on him, but he didn’t elaborate. “I also didn’t really want you guys to feel obligated to come here every time that you come to Hogsmeade. It’s not exactly our usual place.”

Olivia scoffed loudly. “We wouldn’t be obligated. We’d come because we want to see you. I told you, Noah and Lyle miss you. If we didn’t, we’d have just let you drop off the face of the earth when you got off the train.”

Aberforth finally shifted his gaze back to her, and let a slight smile lift the corner of his mouth. “How about instead you just let me know in advance next time and I can take the day off so you guys can actually enjoy your Hogsmeade weekend?”

Olivia smiled back, and nodded. “Sounds like a good plan to me. For now, how about you tell me about how you wound up in the only place in town that I’ve never heard of?”

Aberforth laughed quietly, shaking his head. “Well, either they were the only place hiring, or Keith was the only one willing to take pity on me when I came into town,” he said. “Also, I think he was desperate to not be called in nights anymore. That’s what I’m here for. He gets to spend the whole night with his family. I can bartend and take care of the guests.”

Olivia used her toe to pull the small footrest between the chairs closer to her than Aberforth, and placed her feet up on it as she listened. “And you said you like it? What exactly about this place do you like?”

He could hear the judgement in her voice, but didn’t take it to heart. “I know it’s not much, but - I like the people that come in. They’re the more quiet people, and even if some of them are possibly hags, they don’t act that awful. They’re not here because they’re obnoxious, they’re here because they want to get away from the obnoxious people,” he said. “And when they come here, they don’t have to hide that they’re a hag, or whatever.”

She nodded, considering his words. She wasn’t looking at him, though, and he followed her gaze up to the empty spot above the fireplace. “What about you? Do you like being away from the obnoxious people, or do you like not having to hide?” Her gaze did come back to him then, but he didn’t meet it.

“I don’t know,” he said after a long moment of silence. But he did know it wasn’t the second option. Even here, he was still hiding lots of things. “Look, I should get back to work.” He stood up, and waited for her to do the same. “Like I said, write me next time you’ll be coming. We can all hang out for real, instead of you interrogating me in the back of a dirty pub.”

She got to her feet, and he couldn’t help the slight bit of hate he felt when she said, “When you’re done repressing, I’d be willing to come see you again.”

But he just rolled his eyes, instead of telling her to shut it. “Good luck with that.” He walked to the door of his room, but before he opened it to head back out to the pub, he turned around. “I’ll try to write a little bit more. And tell Lyle and Noah to read their own letters, for Merlin’s sake.”

Olivia smiled, and tugged the door open herself. “I’ll see you around, Aberforth.” She turned around and wrapped her arms around him before he could protest. He sighed, and hugged her back.

When she released him, she headed out to the front door, and he called, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” She showed him her opinion on that with a specific finger, and he laughed until she was out of sight. 

With a smile still on his face, he walked back to the closet behind the bar to gather what he needed to take care of the rooms from the guests that had left. When he straightened up, he saw Keith was looking at him. “What? I wasn’t even back there that long. I’m going to do actual work now.”

“It’s not that,” Keith replied. Without elaborating, but continuing to stare, he sent a line of bottles back to their places on the shelves. 

Aberforth waited, and waited, but Keith still didn’t say anything. So Aberforth dropped the sheets on the bar. “Would you either look somewhere else or tell me why the hell you’re staring at me like that?”

That got Keith to turn away, and he started another part of his inventory instead of speaking immediately. It was when Aberforth scoffed loudly and scooped the sheets back up that he finally said, “I was just trying to think of if I’ve ever actually seen you smile before - and no, not the fake one you give when you’re trying to get a tip. Only time I can think of is the first night you came here.”

Aberforth scoffed out loud, and turned away. “I smile,” he argued. He headed for the stairs, but stopped at the bottom to turn back. “I definitely smile, you’re just exaggerating. You should pay better attention.”

“And you should have friends over more if it means you’ll actually be in a good mood!” Keith called after him as he headed up the stairs.

Aberforth rolled his eyes, but wondered if Keith was actually right about how much he smiled.

~

**_September, 1900_ **

It was a rare Saturday that Aberforth had off; in the year he had been at the Hog’s Head, his duties passed from glorified maid to an actual bartender and general keeper of the place, while Keith decided that he wanted to spend more of his days home with his wife and kids. Keith had told Aberforth he would handle the day shift for today. Aberforth knew it was because Anna (who Aberforth had also come to know fairly well after being invited to dinner several times) was taking the children to see their cousins. Keith complained constantly how much being around Anna’s siblings’ children stressed him out, so Aberforth hadn’t objected when Keith said “You have somewhere else to be today. I don’t want you back in this pub until after seven tonight, you hear me?”

It was pretty amusing, Aberforth thought as he made his way through the main square of Hogsmeade. Keith loved most of his wife’s family, but the second any visit would be overcome by the nieces and nephews, he didn’t want any involvement. He stopped at Honeydukes to look at the selection in the front window - he hadn’t stopped by in forever, and the place wasn’t crowded like it would be on a student weekend. But as he tried to decide if he wanted to go in or not, he could feel somebody’s eyes on him.

He straightened up, and turned around, and his eyes almost immediately locked on a pair he knew all too well, because they matched his own, down to the way the blue almost darkened directly around the pupil. But right now, Albus’ eyes were widened in shock and disbelief, and Aberforth knew there was no way for him to pretend he hadn’t seen Albus and move on.

There wasn’t enough distance for him to just bolt, either, because by the time he had recovered enough to even take a step, Albus had closed the distance between them, but didn’t say anything. His jaw was working like it always did in the few times Albus had no idea what to say.

“What are you doing here?” Aberforth intended for the question to be sharp, and harsh, but all that tainted the words was his own disbelief. 

“I - I just started as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor,”Albus replied, still staring. Because why wouldn’t he wind up back at Hogwarts instead of far away where Aberforth would never have to see him? “Aberforth, do you even understand how long I’ve spent looking for you?”

Aberforth’s jaw clenched, but he refused to let himself feel guilty over what he had done. “I don’t know why you even bothered,” he said, the words strained. “I said I wasn’t going back. Did you think I had been taken from the train? It’s not fucking possible.” He had been looking at Albus, but he turned his eyes back to the window display, finding it hard to keep eye contact with him.

“I looked because  _ I didn’t know that _ ,” Albus replied, his voice breaking. “I thought that maybe - I didn’t know if -”

He couldn’t finish the sentence, but Aberforth knew exactly where he was going with it. He almost laughed, and any tiny bit of shame he had was gone in an instant. “What? You thought that  _ your boyfriend _ got a taste for killing your siblings and added me to his list?” Albus paled slightly at how Aberforth referred to Grindelwald, but there was nobody close enough and he kept his voice low as he spoke so nobody else could hear him - even as much as he hated Albus for what had happened, that was a line even he wouldn’t cross. Especially not considering that people knew who Albus was. “Did you think he - he snatched me when I got off the train to kill me like he did Ariana?”

“He didn’t kill her,” Albus said quietly. “He is not the one you should be blaming.”

“Are you kidding me? This has to be some sick joke on your part, because you can’t actually be serious.” To even  _ think _ that Grindelwald wasn’t to blame meant that Albus was even further gone than he even wanted to consider. “How can you say that I shouldn’t blame him?”

“Because what happened was  _ my _ fault, not his. You can’t blame him for what I did. I was the one who screwed everything up.”

“Oh, I never said you were blameless. Don’t think for a second that I think you are. But to think that he is - you’re absolutely off your rocker. I would have been willing to drop it, once you realized your mistake. But because of him, everything went wrong. You are still to blame because you brought him into our home and put him that close to our baby sister. But he is the one that tortured me because I wouldn’t let you treat Ariana like a burden. He is the one that started that fight. He is the one that couldn’t let it or you go.  _ He _ was the problem.”

Albus was silent, but then he shook his head. “I’m still the only person you should be blaming.”

Aberforth made a choking noise as Albus still tried to say the Grindelwald was innocent. His hand went to his pocket, and wrapped tightly around the chain of the locket. It was the only thing he had to remind him of Albus. He looked at it on the nights when he had considered writing him - just one letter saying he was okay, and he didn’t have to worry anymore. A response to a single letter he had gotten from Albus asking him to just say something. But something had stopped him every time.

“I’m glad that you were suffering. I’m glad that I didn’t have to see you once this whole year. Because if you still think that that psychopath has any shred of innocence in his body, you’re not worth my time, and I don’t want to call you my brother anymore.” He pulled the locket out and slammed it against Albus’ chest, releasing it once Albus brought his hands up to catch it. He saw the glimmer of recognition in Albus’ eyes, and the second he looked up, Aberforth said, “Keep it. I had it because I thought that just  _ maybe _ we might be able to work things out. But now I don’t want any part of you in my life. So just stay the hell away from me.”

“Aberforth, I didn’t mean it like that, I just -” 

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Aberforth’s arm, but Aberforth yanked his arm away, and didn’t stop to try to listen to whatever explanation. Maybe other people fell for his silver tongue, but he was having none of it. He turned quickly on his heel, striding away from Albus before he could say anything else. He looked back over his shoulder,  making sure that Albus wasn’t following him. 

Albus was staring down at the locket, but he looked up, and Aberforth stopped right before he turned the corner to lock eyes with him one last time. When Albus didn’t try to stop him, he went down the street, going for the Hog’s Head. When he slammed the door open, Keith looked up. 

“Oy, I thought I told you to stay out of this pub until -”

“Something came up!” Aberforth went straight for his rooms, and slammed that door shut behind him as well. He made a beeline for the desk, yanking open the top drawer. Before he could grab what he wanted, the door opened, and Aberforth groaned. “I  _ said _ something came up. I won’t come out into the pub so you won’t get your ass kicked by Anna when she comes back.”

“Actually, I was more concerned about you slamming doors in my pub and making dents in the walls,” Keith replied, shutting the door with a soft click. “But it’s nice to know that you actually do care if I get my ass kicked. What’s going on?”

Aberforth hesitated, closing the drawer he had just opened. He turned away so he was actually facing Keith. “I saw my brother. Albus,” he admitted. “And it wasn’t just him staying here for a night. He’s a professor at Hogwarts, and he saw me. We started talking, and it turned into an argument quickly.”

“You told me arguments with your brother are common as breathing. Why’s this one got you in such a mood? I’ve never seen you act like that.” Keith clearly was just concerned, not trying to pry.

But Aberforth’s face still darkened, and he said, “Because he’s had a year and still he doesn’t understand. A year, and his mindset hasn’t changed at all. He’s still willing to pretend that Gr-” He cut himself off quickly, and forced himself to calm down, though the latter didn’t work very well. He could feel angry tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, but he didn’t try to stop them. He breathed heavily out through his nose. “I would have been willing to try, until he said what he did. Now I just know it would have been worthless.” He felt a few of the tears starting to fall, but he made no motion to wipe them away.

Keith looked at him for a long moment. Probably because this was the most he had ever said concerning his fight with Albus. “Do you want to actually talk about it? Instead of spewing half-formed thoughts?” he asked. Aberforth simply shook his head, and Keith reached for the door and pulled it open. “Don’t worry about working tonight. I’m going to close the place early.”

Once the door shut behind Keith, Aberforth opened the drawer again, grabbing what he intended to before Keith had come in.

A letter he had received from Albus the day after he had seen him heading for Hogwarts last year, and one he had considered replying to many times. The ink had worn away in places from how many times Aberforth had folded and unfolded it, but he still knew exactly what it said.

_ Aberforth, _

_ I know you’re still mad at me. I can’t blame you for that, and I probably never will. But even if you never get over being mad at me, please tell me that you’re alright. I’m not sorry for trying to make you go to school, but I am sorry that I didn’t give you a choice. I should have discussed it with  you beyond a singular argument. I was just trying to do what I thought was best for you.  _

_ Whatever else I may have done wrong besides the many obvious options, I’m sorry. I don’t expect you to want anything to do with me, but if you’re able, please write to me. I don’t need a lengthy letter explaining where you are and what you’re doing. I understand that it’s not my business anymore. I genuinely just want to know that you’re okay, and your absence from Hogwarts isn’t for some terrifying reason and not just that you did what you wanted. Just to set my mind at ease. Please. _

_ Albus _

The writing had drips of ink all over, both on the letters and in the spaces between. Aberforth knew it was because Albus kept hesitating as he wrote it - he had seen it in the countless notebooks Albus left lying around the house. He tended to get so caught up in his thoughts that the ink would either drip from his quill or bleed through the paper where he held it for too long. 

But that didn’t matter. He stepped away from the desk, and let his wand drop from his sleeve and into his hand. Tears still slid down his face, and he ignored them to focus on the task at hand. Once he made it in front of the fireplace, he wordlessly lit the paper on fire. He let the flames go up until they almost reached his fingertips before he dropped it in the fireplace, and turned away without a glance back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Alright, you three, come get ready for dinner,” Anna said over their laughter. Aberforth bent over to set Ivy down, and she went over to Lucas. Once both of them were out of the room to wash up, Anna turned her gaze to Aberforth - with eyes that matched Lucas’, and were filled with concern as she asked, “How have you been?”
> 
> Aberforth sighed, and his head tilted back so he could let out a groan of annoyance. He asked, “Are we really going to do this? Can’t we just have a normal dinner?”
> 
> “We are going to do this,” she said. “Because you can put on a happy face for the children, but Keith has a big mouth. I know seeing your brother bothered you.”
> 
> “Anna, I appreciate you caring, but I really don’t want to talk about it. Albus is here, but I didn’t come to talk about that. I came to see you guys. No need to linger on the unpleasant stuff.”
> 
> Anna sighed right back at him, looking over her shoulder to watch Lucas and Ivy flicking the water from their hands at each other. Lucas was decidedly more talented at it, and Ivy was struggling to properly get any of it off her hands and on her brother. “Alright,” she finally said.

“Anna wants to know if you’ll come to dinner tonight.”

Aberforth sent a stack of glasses under the bar with a wave of his wand, and looked at Keith. “And I’m sure this has nothing to do with the fact that I saw Albus three days ago, and to quote you directly, ‘have been suspiciously quiet since’? All just a big coincidence, I’m sure?”

“I tell her things, it’s not a crime to share information with my wife,” Keith said, clearly unashamed. “And she worries. Especially about you. Quit causing Anna stress and just come to dinner. It’s one night, and we both know you’ll eat a crappy dinner otherwise. She’s making a big dinner, and if you don’t show up, it’ll make her sad.”

Aberforth let out a sigh, folding his arms and resting them against the bar. “That’s cheating.”

“What is?” Keith pushed a chair in at one of the tables, giving a sufficiently innocent look.

“You know exactly what,” Aberforth replied. “Using Anna to get me to come. You can’t just say it’ll make her sad, that’s - it’s using her, and I don’t think she’d approve.”

“Well, it’s just that she’s been thinking of a way to cheer you up since I told her, and she made the suggestion in front of the kids, so now Ivy _and_ Lucas are hoping you’ll come.” Aberforth shot him a glare, but Keith still continued. “Never mind that Ivy has been asking when she’ll get to see you again, because we got her a new dress and she’s waiting to show it off to you. And Lucas loves to pretend to be tough around you.”

“Okay, now you’re seriously cheating. But fine. I’ll come to dinner with you and Anna and the kids, and show her that you’re just overly dramatic and there’s _nothing wrong_.”

“Great! She was already planning on setting a place for you when I went home for lunch.”

Aberforth rolled his eyes, pushing off the bar to walk around it. “And what about this place? You just gonna close when we go out for dinner?”

“Nope. I found a girl who’s willing to work occasional nights here. On call, if you will. But she’ll also come in a few nights a week so I can go home earlier.”

Aberforth made a face. “Why do we need another worker? I do fine on my own, I’m on my own all the time. You were on your own before me. We don’t need another bartender.”

“I actually wasn’t on my own all the time. The last guy quit about a week before you came because he didn’t want to deal with the night patrons anymore,” Keith replied. “Her name is Emily. You’ll get to meet her around five, before we go.”

Aberforth glanced at the clock ticking over the fireplace. It was 4:45, and he huffed a sigh. “You really were banking on me agreeing to come with you, weren’t you?”

“I know you well enough to know what a sucker you are for my kids,” Keith said, giving what most would consider a smile, but Aberforth knew it was as close as Keith would get to a smirk.

Aberforth rolled his eyes. “I put up with a lot of shit from you, you know that?”

“Not nearly as much as I put up with from you.”

“Let’s call it moot,” Aberforth replied just as the door opened. He looked up, and saw a girl with red hair entering the bar. He simply continued replacing items on the shelf, rearranging them into the positions that he liked to have them. 

He could hear Keith and who he assumed was Emily chatting in the background. They were loud enough that he could hear if he cared to listen, but he didn’t. He was done with the bottles after a minute, and turned to face the two of them. 

“Aberforth, meet Emily,” Keith said, walking over to him with Emily close behind.

“Already know her,” Aberforth said. He hopped up on the bar, lifting his feet over it and dropping down to the other side so he was standing in front of them.

“You’re a Dumbledore, right? I saw you in the halls a lot. Your brother was in my year.” Emily stepped so she was less behind Keith. “I had a couple of classes with him.”

“How unfortunate for you,” Aberforth replied dryly. He turned to Keith expectantly. “Are we going now?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “What a wonderful way to welcome your new coworker. If Emily is all set, then we can go.”

“I’m all good to go. I don’t really need a warm welcome,” Emily said, waving him off and walking around the bar to take Aberforth’s place. “Have a nice night! I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it getting busy.”

“Don’t mess with my bottles,” Aberforth warned her as he grabbed his coat and turned to Keith. “Walking or apparating?”

“Let’s apparate. The kids are excited to see you. I won’t be coming back tonight, but you’ll see Aberforth when he comes back. He can take care of closing up.” His last words were directed at Emily, and he nodded to Aberforth. “I’ll see you in a second.” With a pop, he was gone.

Aberforth turned to Emily, tipped his fingers to her in goodbye before following suit. Keith was standing on the stoop waiting for him, and opened the door without a word. “Thanks,” Aberforth muttered, stepping around him. He heard the unmistakable sound of two children running through the house towards them, and couldn’t help the smile that took place as the two of them rounded the corner, jumping at Keith before he could even take his coat off.

Ivy, freshly four years old, clung to his leg while Lucas was a bit more ambitious. He was tall enough now that he could get a good grip at his father’s shoulders and tug himself up. Keith always gave him a slight boost, though Aberforth knew neither would admit to it. 

“Alright, alright, let me get in the house, you animals,” Keith told them, setting Lucas down. But he still paused to scoop Ivy up and give her a proper hug. He set her back down, and began taking off his coat, shutting the door with his foot. Aberforth had already dropped his coat on the hook, and the kids took no time to turn their attention to him.

“Hey, guys,” he laughed, bending over to scoop up Ivy, and wrapping his other arm around Lucas’ shoulders, glancing at him and meeting his green eyes. “You know, one of these days you’re gonna get taller than me.” 

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” came a voice behind him. “Luke is getting tall, but you’re ridiculously so.” 

Aberforth was still smiling, but he turned and made sure Anna could see him rolling his eyes at her. “I think you’re ridiculously short, and everybody is ridiculously tall to you,” he argued.

“Anna’s right, you are ridiculously tall. She’s not even that short. She’s average height for a woman. I’m almost twenty years older and you’re three inches taller than me.” Keith moved around Aberforth to press a kiss to Anna’s temple. 

“I could still be taller than him!” Lucas interjected, tugging himself free from Aberforth to run over to his parents. “I wanna be taller!”

“What about me?” Ivy chipped in, curling her fingers into Aberforth’s shirt. “I wanna be tall, too!”

Aberforth laughed, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face. “I bet you’ll be the tallest one of us all.” In a stage whisper, he added, “Just don’t tell Lucas, okay?”

“I heard that!” Lucas glared at Aberforth, but he and Ivy were too busy laughing already.

“Alright, you three, come get ready for dinner,” Anna said over their laughter. Aberforth bent over to set Ivy down, and she went over to Lucas. Once both of them were out of the room to wash up, Anna turned her gaze to Aberforth - with eyes that matched Lucas’, and were filled with concern as she asked, “How have you been?”

Aberforth sighed, and his head tilted back so he could let out a groan of annoyance. He asked, “Are we really going to do this? Can’t we just have a normal dinner?”

Anna stepped forward and shoved his shoulder. “We are going to do this,” she said. “Because you can put on a happy face for the children, but Keith has a big mouth. I know seeing your brother bothered you.”

Aberforth sighed, rubbing his hand over his jaw. “Anna, I appreciate you caring, but I really don’t want to talk about it. Albus is here, but I didn’t come to talk about that. I came to see you guys. No need to linger on the unpleasant stuff.”

Anna sighed right back at him, looking over her shoulder to watch Lucas and Ivy flicking the water from their hands at each other. Lucas was decidedly more talented at it, and Ivy was struggling to properly get any of it off her hands and on her brother. “Alright,” she finally said. “But you better come over for dinner more often. Especially now that there’s a new hire

“Yes, ma’am,” Aberforth replied, and she smiled, finally letting him pass her to go to wash up himself. In the bathroom, he stopped for a second, gripping at the edges of the sink. He knew Anna wouldn’t be too bad about it, but there would be glances and subtle questions over dinner. He didn’t want to make it a big thing over dinner, at least from his end. 

He let out a heavy sigh, and released the sink. He walked out of the bathroom, smiling when Ivy ran up to him. “Come on. Mama says if you’re not sitting, you won’t get dessert!” she told him, grabbing his arm and tugging him towards the table. 

“Hmmmm, I dunno,” Aberforth said, walking very slowly with her tugs. “What’s for dessert? ’Cause if it’s just oatcakes or something, it’s not worth it.”

Ivy tugged harder, but didn’t make any ground. “It’s cake!” she grunted between yanks.

Aberforth let out a surprised gasp, and scooped Ivy up into his arms. “If it’s cake, we have to hurry!” he exclaimed. Ivy let out a burst of giggles as he shifted her to over his shoulder and ran to the table. She was still giggling when he deposited her in the chair, and he sat down next to her with a grin in Anna’s direction. “Did we make it in time to still have dessert?”

Anna rolled her eyes, but gave the two of them a critical look, between Aberforth sitting with his hands folded neatly on the table, and Ivy trying to stifle giggles as she squirmed in her own seat. “Well…” She tapped a finger on her chin. “I guess you’ve made it in time. But Lucas might get a bigger slice because he was on time.”

Lucas shot a triumphant grin over at Ivy, who started complaining loudly. That prompted Lucas to start arguing with her, and Anna looked at Aberforth with a half a smile. Keith walked in, but Ivy and Lucas didn’t stop. 

“I’m assuming you did this?” Keith asked Aberforth, who shook his head and pointed at Anna.

Anna grimaced slightly, giving a half a nod. “This one is on me,” she said apologetically. Then, she turned to Ivy and Lucas. “You two! Lucas, since you were smug, now you both get the same size. If you continue to argue, neither of you will get any cake, and it will all go to me and Dad, and maybe Aberforth if we’re too full from dinner.”

Like somebody had flipped a switch, both children shut their mouths and sat properly in their seats. Aberforth shook his head, stifling a laugh. Anna smiled again, and began serving plates. “So,” she began, “Lucas is still agonizing over which house he’ll be sorted into, even though he won’t be actually attending Hogwarts for another three years.”

“Why can’t I go in two years?” Lucas argued. “I turn nine at the end of October, I’ll be eleven in two years!”

“Because you have to be eleven by September 1st,” Keith told him as he accepted his plate from Anna. “It’s a little unfair to you, but they want all children to be seventeen by seventh year.”

“It’s true,” Aberforth said, giving Lucas a sympathetic look. “I only just made it to the year I was in, because I have a July birthday. But why are you agonizing over your house? All the houses are great.”

“What if I get put in Slytherin! Then, if I wanna be evil, everyone will say it’s because of my house. What if I just want to be an evil Gryfffindor?”

Aberforth fought to keep a straight face, and nodded slowly, mocking thought as Anna continued to hand out plates. “Well, I think if you’re truly evil, nobody will say it’s because of your house. They’ll just say that you’re an evil wizard. Is that the only thing you’re worried about?”

Lucas shook his head, beginning to shovel food into his mouth. “If I don’t get into Ravenclaw, then I’m not smart,” he said with his mouth full. He ducked his head at a glare from his father, and swallowed his food before he finished. Aberforth took a bite of his own food, waiting for him to finish. A moment later, Lucas continued, “If I don’t get into Gryffindor, then I’m not brave enough. And if I don’t get into Hufflepuff, I’m not loyal enough. And what if I’m not ambitious enough to be in Slytherin?”

Aberforth took a sip of his drink, pondering it. “Well, I don’t think just because you _don’t_ get into one house doesn’t mean you don’t have enough of their qualities,” he pointed out. “It just means you have more of another house’s. You can still be brave, but you belong in Ravenclaw because that’s where the Sorting Hat thinks you’ll thrive best, better than in Gryffindor. Or whatever house you may wind up in.”

Lucas paused, and sighed heavily. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he admitted.

Keith threw his hands up in exasperation, looking at Lucas. “I’ve been saying that for a month. How come you listened to it from him and not from me?”

“Because you didn’t say it like that,” Lucas told him, and promptly started eating again.

Aberforth shrugged, giving Keith a smug grin. “You just aren’t as articulate as me.” He turned to Ivy, and asked, “What house do you want to be in?”

“Ravenclaw, like Mama! It’s the best house,” she said, bouncing in her seat. “Plus, I look good in blue. Lucas should be in Slytherin because the green matches his eyes.”

“Pretty sound logic,” Aberforth agreed. “I was in Gryffindor because the red looked good with my hair.”

“And Mama was in Ravenclaw because she looks amazing in blue,” Keith added, smiling across the table at Anna.

“Well, we’ve clearly gotten to how the Sorting Hat makes its decisions.” Aberforth raised his glass, and after he took a sip, resumed eating. He added, “But, no matter what house you guys get in, it’ll be the right one, and the one you look best in.”

Anna chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re all crazy. I don’t know how you two got so bad,” she said, pointing at Ivy and Lucas. “It should have been diluted from me. But it wasn’t. You got full crazy from your dad.”

“Or, you’re just a different kind of crazy,” Keith pointed out, taking a bite of potatoes. “You must be, if you married and had kids with me.”

Lucas started giggling, and said, “He’s right, you are crazy.”

Anna rolled her eyes at them, but it was somewhat ruined by the affectionate look she gave Keith across the table. “All of you, stop giggling and eat, or you won’t get dessert,” she warned, and the children - and Keith - became suddenly quiet.

Dinner and dessert both passed without much incident, beyond Ivy sneaking food off of Lucas’ plate without him noticing - and giving Aberforth a wicked grin when he did. It wasn’t until the kids were sent to bed that Aberforth knew he should go. 

While Anna tucked them in, he gave a quick goodbye to Keith, grabbing his jacket and getting ready to leave, wanting to be out before Anna came back down. If she was around without the children - he was well and truly stuck until she was satisfied with the conversation they had.

He got his coat on, and thought he was in the clear, until his hand was on the doorknob and he pulled it open - only to have it pushed back shut by Anna, suddenly standing next to him. “You should know better by now,” she said, and he sighed. Still, he followed when she beckoned for him to, and went back to the room where Keith was sitting.

He clearly hadn’t expected Aberforth to get out, because three cups of tea were sitting on the table. Aberforth sat with a sigh, but didn’t take the tea. “I thought you said we weren’t going to do this,” he finally said to Anna

“Not when we both know what happens when we do leave you be,” Keith replied. “I’d rather not lose more customers because you can’t keep your temper in check. And believe it or not, we do actually give a shit about you.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Aberforth protested, sinking into his seat. “I know you do. But having an intervention just because I’m in a bad mood is a bit over the top.”

“It’s not just a bad mood,” Anna cut in. “Aberforth, we just want you to actually talk about it instead of trying to act like nothing’s wrong. Even before Keith told me, when I came by the other day, you were silent and barely noticed what was happening right in front of you.”

She had addressed the heart of the problem without even realizing it. He didn’t _want_ to talk about it, yes, but even if he did, he couldn’t. Even if he hated Albus, he couldn’t tell anybody what had happened. It would ruin Albus’ life if it ever got out, even if he trusted Keith and Anna. He hated that he cared about that, as much as he tried to tell himself that it was because success would just bring Albus that much farther away from him. He sat in silence as he thought it over, sinking even lower in his seat as his eyes flicked back and forth between Anna and Keith, both waiting for something from him.

“Talking about it isn’t going to change what happened,” he finally said, and he saw disappointment flicker in Keith’s expression. “Nothing will. I could pour my fucking heart out to you guys, and I would still get just as mad when I saw my asshole brother. I would still hate any moment I have to spend in conversation with him. The problem is not me refusing to talk about it. The problem is him and his continued presence in my life.”

He stood up before Keith or Anna could say anything else, and straightened his coat, which he hadn’t taken off when Anna accosted him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Instead of walking to the door, he apparated straight out of their living room.

He had gone to right outside the Hog’s Head instead of his rooms - he would send Emily home, and that way if Keith followed him, he had an excuse not to go back. He pushed open the door, shucking his coat immediately and tossing it on the farthest bar stool when he passed it. 

Emily opened her mouth to say something, but Aberforth cut her off. “Go home,” he said, running a hand over his face.

She raised an eyebrow, and tried to speak again. “Okay, but you should kn-”

“Just - please go home. I don’t need another person here. I will take care of the rest of the night.”

‘Alright, but don’t say I didn’t try to warn you,” she said with a shrug, walking around to the other side of the bar. Her next words weren’t directed at him, and drew Aberforth’s attention to the only person in the pub actually sat at the bar that he had been ignoring. “It was nice to see you, Albus.”


End file.
